Get tips on how to communicate with the wait staff and avoid the ingredients you may be allergic to.

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Part of the fun of eating out is trying new and different foods, but for people with food allergies, not knowing exactly what’s in a restaurant dish can be a big problem. According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, the vast majority of food allergy reactions are caused by eight foods: milk, soy, eggs, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish — all of which are common in restaurant fare.

Loring Gotschall of Marblehead, Mass., discovered her food allergy when eating out at Mexican restaurants. "I would order Mexican food, and in about 20 minutes, I would have the worst stomachache," she says. Her severe stomachache would have her doubled over in pain, making it difficult to stand or walk for an hour or two.

That's when she figured out that she was allergic to avocados. Since then, bananas, raw chestnuts, kiwis, and latex have been added to her list of allergy triggers. (Bananas, chestnuts, kiwi, avocado, and tomato have been known to cause allergic symptoms in some people with a latex allergy.)

Food Allergies: Restaurant Dining Tips

For people with food allergies, eating in restaurants can be difficult, since you cannot be sure what ingredients are in the food.

"When eating out, you have to be very careful that you really know your ingredient list" if you have a food allergy, says Julie McNairn, MD, an allergist and immunologist in Cincinnati. She recommends that you discuss the ingredients of your food with the wait staff or the cook, and be very mindful of what is in your food.

If you have a food allergy, talk with your allergist about the precautions to take when dining out at restaurants or at other people's homes. Depending on the allergy and its severity, your allergist can give tips about the types of questions to ask, as well as the types of foods and restaurants you should avoid.

"I generally tell [my patients with food allergies] to avoid buffets, since they are places where you cannot be sure how things are cooked," says Dr. McNairn. "If you are sensitive enough, you can react to something left over in a pan from someone else's meal."

McNairn also says that people with a shellfish allergy should stay out of seafood restaurants, since there are often shellfish-based ingredients in almost every dish.

Other dining out tips for people with food allergies include:

Be upfront about your allergy. Tell the wait staff that you have a food allergy and what food allergens you are allergic to before any food is served at your table.

Get the details. After making your menu selection, ask the wait staff to list the ingredients in the dish.

Ask about food preparation. See if the cutting surface, cookware, and utensils used to prepare your dish could have been exposed to the food allergen.

Go to the source. If the wait staff can't answer your questions, or you are unsure if you are getting reliable answers, ask to talk to the chef or person who is preparing the food. If the kitchen staff knows you have a food allergy, it will be careful that your dish not be exposed to the foods to which you are allergic.

Come prepared. If your doctor has prescribed an epinephrine self-injector for your food allergy, make sure to bring it to the restaurant, so that you will be prepared for an allergic reaction.

Try another restaurant. Some restaurants are better than others when it comes to watching out for people with food allergies. If you are uncomfortable with one restaurant, it doesn't mean you can't eat out anymore. Just ask around, and try different restaurants, until you find some that you feel comfortable with.

With food allergies, it is always better to be safe than sorry. Knowing ahead of time what questions to ask and what settings to avoid can make dining out the enjoyable experience it should be.

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